One night at church as the Gospel was being shared, the Holy Spirit was working on a young woman's heart. That night, she came to faith in Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. But, the change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children. It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor's son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans. This is when the problems began. You see, half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor's son.

The church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand. The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry, the pastor's son stood. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife-to-be. He said: "My fiancee's past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the Blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?" The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the forgiving blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters. Forgiveness is the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely, then it cannot cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble! The only thing that can wash away your sins and mine is the blood of Jesus!

You and I are unlovable because of our sins. We have proven every day of our lives that we do not deserve anything good from God, since we have continually not been good as He has required us to be. God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, or the "Seven Spirits," and God's Son Jesus had NO reason to love you and me. We have not kept our part of the deal. We have not loved Him above all things. We have not loved our neighbor. I mean, how often haven't you been like the congregation above and refused to forgive others for their pasts? And how often doesn't selfishness drive our thoughts, words, and deeds? Admit it, when our sinful nature is in the driving seat, we care a whole lot more about ourselves than God or our neighbor!

And every day, we shut our eyes to the truth of that. When my toddler son covers his eyes with his hands, he can't see me, and he thinks that I can't see him. But I am still there. We do the same thing in our relationship with God. We do everything we can in our lives to distract us from the truth that our conscience convinces us of: we have failed the divine Lord and Creator of our universe! And we try shutting our eyes to that. But our text informs us of the day when our Lord and King will be returning in a very visible way to this world. And we are told that every eye will see Him! No one will be able to shut their eyes to the fact that Jesus has returned in all of his majesty! No one will be able to pretend anymore! No one will be able to put it off, open their mouths to excuse themselves, or run away. Every eye will see Him, including the eyes of those who have pierced Him with their sins and unbelief!

The story is told about the baptism of King Aengus by St. Patrick in the middle of the fifth century. Sometime during the baptism, St. Patrick leaned on his sharp-pointed staff and inadvertently stabbed the king's foot. After the baptism was over, St. Patrick looked down at all the blood, realized what he had done, and begged the king's forgiveness. "Why did you suffer this pain in silence?" Patrick wanted to know. The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual." Friends, your King was stabbed in the foot . . . and the hand, and the side and the head and that WAS part of the ritual! And, you and I are the ones who held the staff! Not just the soldiers who pierced Him! I ask you, will you beg the King's forgiveness?

1. He Has Demonstrated His Love For Us! By freeing us from our sins with his blood! Our text says: "Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to Him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen." We are greeted with grace and peace from our triune God! Grace is the merciful Father's undeserved favor and love for sinners. Even though we were unlovable by virtue of our sins, God continued to love us and showed his love to us in sending Jesus into this world! "Grace" is a summary of all the gifts of God's love - forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation - that come to us through Jesus. Peace is the effect which God's grace has brought about in us. You can have peace in your troubled conscience because your sins have been forgiven! You are now at peace with God! God is committed to our salvation; He is unchanged by our lapses into sin and forgives us for the sake of his Son's peace-making work.

Jesus showed us his eternal love most clearly by freeing us from our sins by his blood. He came to this earth, humiliated Himself, gave up all the things that should have been his as Lord of the universe, and gave his lifeblood up on the cross to pay our punishment and set us free. We had been slaves to sin but have now been released! We were subject to death but have been delivered from the punishment we deserved!

Jesus also showed us his love by being our Prophet, Priest, and King. As the faithful witness, Jesus fulfilled his office as Prophet, revealing God's Word to us. We can believe and trust his words through which He has brought us the true knowledge of God. As the firstborn of the dead, He fulfilled his office as Priest, giving his own life as a sacrifice for all. He was the first to rise from the dead, never to die again! Because of that, He has defeated death for us all and assured you that you will rise again! And as the ruler of the kings of the earth, He fulfilled his office as King. He governs all other rulers and uses them to carry out his divine purposes. Even as evil happens around us, Jesus is controlling everything for our good!

And by freeing you from your sins with his bloody death on the cross and resurrection, He has made you and me to be his kingdom and priests! Wow! Not only has He freed us, but He has given us a rather exalted position! We get to rule with Him! The King on our side is over all! We are on the right team! All our enemies will have to answer to our King! And as his priests, we now have the privilege of approaching Him directly. You don't have to go through a priest or pastor or other religious person. You can take your cares and concerns right to God. He has given you access by what Jesus has done for you! And the sacrifices we offer to Him now as priests are the lives of service we live to thank Him!

Here is what that means for you and me: (1) A change in one's allegiance. If Christ is the King, He deserves our honor, loyalty, and obedience. We put ourselves under His authority and power. Whatever He says, we determine to do. (2) A change in one's expectations. The world seems to grow father away from God by the day. As a result, it's easy to live for the here and now, as if this present life is all that matters. But the hope of the kingdom is that there is far more to life than what we see right now. (3) A change in one's values. Our culture values achievement, success, independence, and image. But the values of the kingdom reflect what matters to the King. And Jesus is all about service, humility, selflessness, and love. (4) A change in one's priorities. The real test of people's values is how they spend their time and money. Jesus challenged His followers to bring kingdom values into their day-to-day lives. "Seeking first the kingdom" puts a Christ-like perspective on one's work and its outcomes. And (5) A change in one's lifelong mission. Some people are driven to accomplish great tasks with their lives. Others live aimlessly from day to day, lacking purpose or direction. Either way, Jesus affects the outlook of a person's life. He gives His followers purpose and a mission - ultimately, to extend His message to the ends of the earth, so that all people have the opportunity to give their allegiance to Him as their Savior and King.

George III of England, who fought America in the Revolutionary War, was upset about the loss of the colonies. It was said, in fact, that for the rest of his life, he could not say the word "independence" without tripping over it. When the fighting in America stopped, King George and all his royal cronies in Europe were sure that George Washington would have himself crowned "Emperor of the New World." That's what they would have done. When he was told, on the contrary, that Washington planned to surrender his military commission and return to farming at Mt. Vernon, George III said, "Well, if he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world." There is power in giving up power, in emptying oneself. Jesus knew it, Pilate didn't. Nor do the kings and rulers of the earth. But in the end, who will win? Jesus showed that He was more than the greatest man in the world - He is the King of kings! His humility, love, and service displayed all the more why all the glory and power must go to Him forever and ever! Jesus is The King. Our King. Hail to the King!

2. He Rules All Things as the Almighty Lord! There is so much uncertainty in this world. There is so much uncertainty in our lives, even as subjects of this King. We falter in our faith daily. We worry about the future. We are alarmed as awful things happen in the world and wonder where in the world God is. But listen: "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. Jesus is the A and the Z. He is the First and the Last. He always has been, is now, and always will be, the Almighty, all powerful, all-knowing Ruler and King of the Universe! So fear not about what is happening in our country and others. Don't be afraid about the difficult things happening in your own life. The King who loved you enough to shed his blood for you, is making sure every one of those things serves your good! And best of all, He is coming again with the clouds on the last day, and we will all see Him in person - and for us who trust in Him, that will not be a day of mourning, but a day of triumphant rejoicing, because for us there will be no more tears! No more crying, sadness, or pain!

A friend told me of an incident that happened while he was in seminary. Since the school had no gymnasium, he and his friends played basketball in a nearby public school. The elderly janitor waited patiently until the seminarians finished playing. Invariably he sat there reading his Bible. One day my friend asked him what he was reading. The man answered, "The Book of Revelation." Surprised, my friend asked if he understood it. "Oh, yes," the man assured him. "I understand it." "What does it mean?" Very quietly the janitor answered, "It means that Jesus is gonna win." That is the best commentary I have ever heard on Revelation. Jesus is going to win. That is the confidence we need as we face the future and that is the confidence we have! Because Jesus, our King, is gonna win. Hail to the King! Amen.

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